Last Friday was the announcement of the exciting collaboration between Eco fashion brand Edun (run by Bono’s wife Ali Hewson) and denim fashion brand Diesel on a new denim collection, Diesel+Edun.

All sourcing and manufacturing of the collection will be done in Africa and the cotton will come from farmers in Northern Uganda who are participating in the Conservation Cotton Initiative, a program run by Bono and Ali helping more than 8,500 farmers to improve their income and recover from prolonged conflict.

Both brands have programs in Africa – Edun the Conservative Cotton Initiative in Northern Uganda and Diesel Only The Brave Foundation in Dioro, Mali. Edun abides by four simple rules: Respect for the customer, respect for the people who make the clothes, respect for the community in which the clothes were made, and respect for the materials used. In the words of Suzy Menkes, “This is a strong fashion label. You don’t want it to be about philanthropy; it’s not about pity purchasing. People don’t buy your clothes because they’re sorry for Africa, they buy them because they’re good.”

Diesel founder Renzo Rosso has known Bono and Ali for a long time and they have discussed many times the opportunity to collaborate together. They recently took a trip to Africa and visited each other’s facilities and work in Africa, inspiring them to collaborate. Rosso speaks in the video below about how Diesel’s proficiency and outreach combined with Edun’s experience in African trade will make denim completely sourced and Made-in-Africa.

The first Diesel+Edun collection will contain 25 denim pieces and launch in February 2013. It will feature “Grown in the Zone Africa”, which will use Malian textile prints on linen as well as embroidery details characterizing Africa’s traditional Zulu patterns. Check out the video below for more information.